Pro-health tax to cover tobacco, vape, alcohol too, says PM Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR: Pro-health taxes will be expanded to cover tobacco, vape and alcohol products, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The Prime Minister stressed the need to handle health risks, stressing that it is not solely for tax revenue.

“It is to encourage behavioural changes and curb the worrying rise of non-communicable diseases,” he said when tabling the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) in the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (July 31).

The tax was previously only imposed on sugary beverages.

Anwar added that the healthcare sector will receive as much as RM40bil in allocation through the 13MP.

“This can help reduce the rakyat’s out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare services,” he said.

Explaining further, he said there will also be upgrades and construction of government healthcare facilities.

This includes Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar 2 in Negri Sembilan; Hospital Sultanah Aminah 2 in Johor; the Sabah Heart Centre at Hospital Queen Elizabeth II in Sabah; the Sarawak Cancer Centre; and the Northern Region Cancer Centre in Kedah.